CRO Partnership Receives Cyclotron at Imaging Center

By Kristin Brooks

MPI Research has received its cyclotron, a vital component for the new Translational Imaging Center located at MPI’s global corporate headquarters in Mattawan, MI. Through a joint partnership with inviCRO, and 3D Imaging, the new imaging center will combine molecular imaging, autoradiography, and animal modeling with the onsite cyclotron, vivarium, and advanced image analytics. Products from the cyclotron will be commercially available when the imaging center opens in May 2014.

The particle accelerator was disassembled at its previous location in Connecticut, and carefully packaged and shipped to Mattawan. The cyclotron and additional supportive radiochemistry equipment will be reconstructed by an international group of technicians onsite. The radioisotopes produced from the cyclotron will be used to visualize, characterize, and quantify biological, chemical, and physiological processes at the cellular and molecular level in vivo.

Commenting on the arrival of the cyclotron, William U. Parfet chairman and chief executive officer of MPI Research, said, “This marks a critical milestone in the development of the Translational Imaging Center. The placement of the cyclotron within the Translational Imaging Center will give researchers timely access to a wide range of isotopes for tracing true performance of promising drug candidates. This ability, along with our advanced data interpretation abilities, will help drug developers reach key go/no-go decisions faster and more efficiently.”

“The teams at MPI Research, InviCRO, and 3D Imaging have come together to set records for conception, construction and installation of a cyclotron facility,” added Marc Berridge, Ph.D., president, and founder of 3D Imaging. “3D Imaging is now installing versatile chemistry capability at the Translational Imaging Center site in Mattawan. We are excited to soon be performing the first syntheses, and with our partners, the first full imaging investigations in this new world-class facility."